Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby' to Open Cannes, After the US Release

"Gatsby - he had an extraordinary sense of hope." This isn't so much about the film as it is the talent it'll bring to the Croisette. The festival has officially announced that Baz Luhrmann's new 3D adaptation of The Great Gatsby will be the opening film of the 66th Cannes Film Festival this May. This gives them the opportunity to bring in the likes of Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Jason Clarke and maybe Carey Mulligan for the premiere, which will be shown in 3D on Wednesday, May 15th, to kick off the fest. The funny thing is, this opens in theaters in the US on May 10th, a few days before this event. Woops!

Here's a quote from Baz Luhrmann via the Cannes press release about the film opening this year's festival:

"It is a great honor for all those who have worked on The Great Gatsby to open the Cannes Film Festival. We are thrilled to return to a country, place and festival that has always been so close to our hearts, not only because my first film Strictly Ballroom was screened there 21 years ago, but also because F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside St. Raphael."

Australian director Baz Luhrmann was last in Cannes with his film Moulin Rouge! which opened the 54th Festival in 2001, as well as with Strictly Ballroom in 1992. The Great Gatsby is playing out of competition in 3D in the official selection at the 66th Cannes Film Festival, kicking off on May 15th. Leonardo DiCaprio (Jay Gatsby) has rarely been seen on the Croisette. He returns to Cannes for the first time since the 2007 presentation of The 11th Hour, a documentary on ecological issues which the actor himself produced. I will also be returning to cover the Cannes Film Festival for my fifth year in a row. Looking forward to it! Steven Spielberg was recently announced as the head of the jury of the festival. Stay tuned for more Cannes news.